Flouting and hedging maxims found in opinion column of “The Jakarta Post”

ABSTRACT

The Cooperative Principle has an important role in the conversation. It should be obeyed by the speaker and the hearer in order to have a smooth communication.Grice proposed the Cooperative Principles that are reflected in the four maxims of conversation: they are the Maxim of Quantity, the Maxim of Quality, the Maxim of Relation, and the Maxim of Manner. In a daily communication, sometimes people do some strategies to make an effective communication. They are flouting and hedging maxims. This study discusses flouting and hedging Maxims Found in Opinion Column of the Jakarta Post. The researcher is interested in finding out the flouting and hedging Maxims Found in Opinion Column of the Jakarta Post because she realizes that those strategies found in almost all of communication but we do not realize it. The researcher limits her study to flouting and hedging Maxims Found in Opinion Column of the Jakarta Post published in Sunday edition.

Based on the phenomena, the research problems investigated are (1) which maxims are flouted on the opinion column of The Jakarta Post? (2) Which maxims are hedged on the opinion column of The Jakarta Post? (3) How are flouting and hedging maxims used on the opinion column of The Jakarta Post? The objectives of this study are (1) To classify the maxims flouted on the opinion column of The Jakarta Post (2) To categorize the maxims hedged on the opinion column of The Jakarta Post (3) To describe how flouting and hedging maxims are used on the opinion column of The Jakarta Post.

To gather the original data, the researcher uses the following steps. The first is documentation; the researcher documents some articles in opinion column of The Jakarta Post in April 2010. Second is read; the researcher reads the articles to understand the whole content of the sentences in opinion column of The Jakarta Post in April 2010. Third is selection; the researcher selects the sentences which contain flouting and hedging maxim in opinion column of The Jakarta Post in April 2010.

In analyzing the data, she uses Grice’s theory of cooperative principle. The researcher uses descriptive approach to describe what maxim are flouted and hedge and how flouting and hedging used in the Jakarta Post. After collecting process, the data are analyzed by using the steps as follows. First, write down the sentences selected from articles in opinion column of The Jakarta Post in April 2010. Second, classify them into each kind of maxim based on Grice’s theory in accordance with flouting and hedging maxims. Third, describe how flouting and hedging maxims are used in opinion column of The Jakarta Post in April 2010. Finally, conclude the result of analysis of flouting and hedging maxims found in opinion column of the Jakarta Post.

After analyzing the data, the researcher finally concludes that the highest number of flouting maxim by writer in opinion column is maxim of quality, followed by maxim of quantity. Whereas, the researcher did not found maxim of relation and maxim of manner are flouted. The researcher found that the highest number of hedging maxim by writer in opinion column is maxim of maxim of quantity, followed by maxim of quality, and maxim of manner. However, the researcher did not found maxim of relation hedged. Moreover, flouting maxims used by the writer in opinion column by doing some rhetorical strategies. They are Tautology, Metaphor, Overstatement Understatement, Rhetorical Question, and Irony. Besides, hedging maxims used by the writer in opinion column by using some language features, they are I think or believe or assume that…, as you know…, in short…, by the way…, will you…, I can…, well…, seems to…, according to…, basically…, I mean…, I guess…, anyway…, more clearly, and so on. Besides, hedging maxims also used by the writer when he attributes the assertion to others.

According to the findings of this research, it is hoped that this research will be one input in the field of Discourse Analysis. Moreover, for journalist, it is recommended to consider the use of maxims in their writing especially on opinion article so it makes readers the intended meaning which writers want to convey. The last, to the next researchers who have same interest in analyzing the flouting and hedging maxims, the researcher suggest focusing their studies on the other aspect which are not covered in this study.